If you currently eat a large amount of bread every day, quitting your bread habit may help you lose weight. Avoiding bread may also help you stay on a low-carbohydrate diet, which many people follow while working to lose weight. Weight loss, however, is achieved by creating a calorie deficit, meaning you take in fewer calories than you burn in a day through activity. If you cut out bread without creating a daily calorie deficit, you won't lose weight.

Calorie Savings

One slice of wheat bread contains roughly 80 calories, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database. If you normally eat two slices of bread per day and quit eating bread without substituting something in its place, you would save 160 calories per day. A reduction of 3,500 calories equals 1 pound loss of body weight. So, over the course of a month, you'd reduce calories by 4,800 and lose roughly 1.4 pounds from cutting out two slices of bread. If you eat other foods in place of the bread you cut out, your calorie savings will not be as significant.

Removing Foods You Overeat

Most people have a food or foods that they are more prone to overeat than others. This weakness in willpower for a food can lead to binge eating, which stacks up calories. If you have a weakness for bread and overeat it often, cutting bread out may significantly decrease your daily calorie intake. It's best not to keep bread in your house if you're tempted to eat it. You may even want to avoid restaurants that bring bread before meals while making these diet changes.

Low-Carb Eating

Many people cut out bread and other carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta, potatoes and whole grains, when working to lose weight. These low-carb diets may be helpful for promoting weight loss initially. A September 2004 article in "The Lancet," notes that greater weight loss is achieved in the first six months on a low-carbohydrate diet than a low-fat diet. No difference in weight loss is seen between the two diets after 12 months, however. According to a February 2009 article in "The New England Journal of Medicine," reduced-calorie diets are successful for attaining weight loss regardless of their carbohydrate content.

Suggestions for Weight Loss

According to the National Weight Control Registry, successful weight-loss plans include both a reduction in calorie intake and an increase in physical activity. The registry reports that at least 90 percent of people who achieve weight loss exercise about one hour per day. It may also be helpful to track your food and calorie intake. If you don't track, you won't know how many calories you've eaten. Recording your intake also increases accountability to yourself for how much you've eaten. Over time, your avoidance of bread and new eating habits will become routine.

About the Author

Erica Kannall is a registered dietitian and certified health/fitness specialist with the American College of Sports Medicine. She has worked in clinical nutrition, community health, fitness, health coaching, counseling and food service. She holds a Bachelor of Science in clinical dietetics and nutrition from the University of Pittsburgh.

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